1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed basketball game utilizes multiple courts, or zones, each with an obstacle and defined shooting areas.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Basketball has been a dominate sport in the world for many years. On all levels, basketball, like all competitive activities, requires repetitive practice at shooting baskets. The repetitive process of shooting baskets can, however, require more perseverance than many people have. Due to the popularity of the game and the advantages of making "practice" more enjoyable, a variety of games have been established at many amusement areas, and the like.
The game of basketball normally includes a basket hoop and net arrangement mounted on a backboard through which a leather ball is thrown for the purpose of scoring points. The ball may be thrown directly through the basket hoop or, in the alternative, may be banked off the backboard in such a way as to cause it to go through the basket hoop. The backboard is usually flat and vertically disposed and large enough to allow bank shots from a variety of different directions. Unfortunately, this orientation of vertical backboard and horizontal hoop only permits a limited number of different bank shots to be made. When the backboard and hoop is utilized in a game in which opponents attempt to block shots, the variation of bank shots available is large enough to provide sufficient challenge. However, when a game involving just shot making is played, the limitations on the variety of available shots become severely obvious.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,494 discloses a backboard having a flat central panel and two flat wing panels affixed by hinges to the sides. The variation in bank shots which may be made utilizing this backboard is limited due to the limited portions which may be changed or repositioned. To increase the variety of bank shots available U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,214 discloses a basketball game which includes multiple stations, each of which has a basket hoop and a backboard which is arranged differently with respect to the hoop for presenting a different variety of bank shots to be made at each station. The '214 patent however, only relates to bank shots and does not provide the ability to practice shooting around obstacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,543 discloses a game providing a different challenge at each court by changing the size or shape of the goal, shooting stance required of the participant and incorporating motion to the goal. Fixed and moving barriers are also incorporated to provide additional difficulty.
Many other design and utility patents have issued on non-court basketball games wherein the ball is retained in a confined area by a net.